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SACRAMENTO — Cities reluctant to OK housing on BART’s expansive parking lots and other land owned by the rail system would be forced to allow it under a new bill unveiled this week.

Assembly Bill 2923, announced Monday over the high-pitched whirring and screeching of trains at the Concord station, would require BART to approve new standards for housing development that reflect the ambitious goals the system recently set. Local governments would have two years to update their zoning restrictions accordingly.

If a city or county fails to comply, it could lose control over projects on BART-owned land.

Sound familiar? The proposal is the latest attempt by Sacramento lawmakers to encourage, nudge or outright force local governments to allow more homes near public transportation amid rising housing costs and traffic congestion. Another pending proposal, Senate Bill 827 by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, would require cities statewide to allow more apartments and condominiums within a half mile of transit.

Among other policy questions, AB 2923 would force cities and BART to grapple with how much parking to offer those who live nearby, but out of walking distance — and whether to replace large parking lots with garages.

“You’ll see around many BART stations acres of asphalt filled with cars during the day and empty at night,” said Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, who is carrying the bill with Assemblyman Tim Grayson, D-Concord. “It’s a terrible use of the areas around major transportation hubs.”

In 2016, BART adopted a goal of building 20,000 of homes throughout the system by 2040 — with 7,000 units, or 35 percent, to be offered at below-market-rate. But delays, community resistance and inertia threaten to undercut that vision, the bill’s proponents say.

The legislation aims to bring all the players together so that projects can move forward more efficiently.

One notoriously contentious housing development at Oakland’s Fruitvale BART station finally broke ground last Friday — more than two decades after it was envisioned.

“Folks that are desperately looking for a place they can afford in the Bay Area,” they can’t wait 25 years,” said BART Director Nick Josefowitz, who is running for a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

Josefowitz says BART has the land to build homes at 29 of its 47 stations. Just 10 stops now have housing, he said.

Housing construction is seen opposite the MacArthur BART station from this drone view in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Work continues on retail and housing projects near the MacArthur BART station in Oakland, Calif.,on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018. (Laura A. Oda/Bay Area News Group)

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Residential housing is seen near the Lafayette BART station from this drone view in Lafayette, Calif., on Monday, Feb. 5, 2018. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

(Laura A. Oda/Bay Area News Group)

Morning commuters catch shuttles and arrive at the MacArthur BART station as construction continues on the MacArthur Commons, a retail and housing project, in Oakland, Calif.,on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018. (Laura A. Oda/Bay Area News Group)

The Ashby BART station, Adeline Street and surrounding neighborhood are seen from this drone view in Berkeley, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Work continues on retail and housing projects near the MacArthur BART station in Oakland, Calif.,on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018. (Laura A. Oda/Bay Area News Group)

Housing construction is seen near the MacArthur BART station from this drone view in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

The Union City BART station and surrounding housing is seen from this drone view in Union City, Calif., on Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. City and county officials vote Tuesday whether to divert $75 million in funds earmarked for the station to build a new wider road near the station. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Morning commuters wait for buses or scooter to work near the MacArthur BART station in Oakland, Calif.,on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018. (Laura A. Oda/Bay Area News Group)

Housing construction is seen near the MacArthur BART station from this drone view in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Laura A. Oda/Bay Area News Group

Morning commuters catch walk to catch buses, shuttles and BART trains at and around the MacArthur BART station as construction continues on the MacArthur Commons, a retail and housing project, in Oakland, Calif.,on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018. (Laura A. Oda/Bay Area News Group)

The Union City BART station and surrounding housing is seen from this drone view in Union City, Calif., on Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. City and county officials vote Tuesday whether to divert $75 million in funds earmarked for the station to build a new wider road near the station. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Morning commuters catch shuttles and arrive at the MacArthur BART station as construction continues on the MacArthur Commons, a retail and housing project, in Oakland, Calif.,on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018. (Laura A. Oda/Bay Area News Group)

Housing construction is seen near the MacArthur BART station from this drone view in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

The Ashby BART station, Adeline Street and surrounding neighborhood are seen from this drone view in Berkeley, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

AB 2923 would require developers to set aside at least 20 percent of the new homes for low-income and middle-income residents at below-market rate; it also mandates the prevailing wage. It is sponsored by the the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California as well as the state’s powerful labor union, the State Building & Construction Trades Council of California, and has support from public transit and environmental groups.

The League of California Cities is still reviewing the bill, said lobbyist Jason Rhine.

As written, the legislation would only apply to stations in Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties, which have representation on BART’s board of directors — not San Mateo county, which is not represented. The San Jose extension would have to be incorporated into the BART district for the bill to apply to it, according to Chiu’s office.

Some cities are more receptive than others to building housing near transit. Grayson, who served as Concord’s mayor before he was elected to the Assembly in 2016, said his hometown created a special district downtown, where it approved 3,000 new homes within walking distance to BART.

“This bill’s going to make the biggest difference in communities that have used any means possible to create challenges for building housing, especially affordable housing,” he said. “This is good for transportation, this is good for housing, this is good for jobs and this is good for environment. This is where we hit the ball out of the park.”

Katy Murphy is based in Sacramento and covers state government for The Mercury News and East Bay Times, a beat she took on in January 2017. Before that, she was the news organization's higher education reporter, writing about UC, CSU, community colleges and private colleges. Long ago, she covered Oakland schools and other K-12 education issues.

Jobs for all income levels and additional housing for local residents were themes that dominated a meeting of the Station Area Advisory Group, a citizen panel attempting to compile community input and craft ways Google could develop a transit-oriented community near the Diridon train station.